Spend A Little, Save A Lot

The Courant’s June 1 editorial [“Audits Show Need To Tighten Belts”] is on target regarding the expenditure of taxpayer dollars and the oversight or lack thereof at the UConn Health Center.

As The Courant opined, the state needs to tighten its belt. A good place to look is at the state’s procurement of goods and services.

Connecticut’s State Contracting Standards Board has the statutory duty and authority related to procurement policies of the state. The board has the authority to assist state agencies concerning procurement by providing guidance, advice and practical assistance.

Unfortunately, the board is severely understaffed with only one employee, its executive director. For more than a year, the position of the state’s chief procurement officer has been vacant and there is no money is the current budget to fill this vital state position. Imagine a company with 50,000 employees and a budget of $20 billion without a chief procurement officer. I don’t think so.

If Connecticut spends a few hundred thousand on staff for the board, it would save millions of dollars in the state budget now and in the future.

Robert D. Rinker, South Windsor

The writer is a member of the Connecticut’s State Contracting Standards Board.